[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 7]
[House]
[Pages 9455-9462]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     JEWISH AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
January 6, 2009, the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Wasserman Schultz) 
is recognized for 60 minutes.
  Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise this evening to proudly commemorate the fifth 
annual Jewish American Heritage Month, which takes place in communities 
across the country each May.
  Jewish American Heritage Month promotes awareness of the 
contributions American Jews have made to the fabric of American life--
from technology and literature, to entertainment, politics and to 
medicine.
  It is a concept that was brought to me by leaders in the south 
Florida Jewish community 5 years ago when I was first elected to serve 
in this body. It was an idea born of the concern that, although there 
have been 355 years of Jewish life in America, there is still a 
tremendous lack of understanding about Jewish culture in that Jews are 
both a religion and a heritage in terms of our traditions and our 
community. Because we are less than 2 percent of the population in 
America, most people in America have either never met a Jewish person 
or have rarely, if ever, interacted with a Jewish person, so our 
traditions are often a foreign concept.
  It was felt by the leaders in my Jewish community that, in having a 
month dedicated to cultural and educational programming, particularly 
in non-Jewish communities, it would raise awareness, foster 
understanding and deal with some of the concerns over the fact that, of 
the bias incidents that have been documented by the FBI and by the 
Anti-Defamation League, literally 65 percent of those bias incidents in 
recent years have been anti-Jewish bias. If we can use Jewish American 
Heritage Month, now in its 5th year, to foster understanding and 
tolerance, then hopefully we can reduce anti-Semitism and bigotry in 
this country.
  As we are well aware, the foundation of our country is built upon the 
strengths of our unique cultures and backgrounds. Yet, while our 
diversity is America's strength, ignorance and intolerance about the 
culture and about the traditions and accomplishments of the Jewish 
people are, unfortunately, still really prevalent.
  Again, Jews make up only 2 percent of our Nation's population, and as 
a result, we need to make sure that people in America understand that 
there have been so many different things and that so much of American 
history has been touched by a significant contribution of American 
Jews.
  Tonight, my colleagues who are joining me on the floor to acknowledge 
and to mark the 5th annual Jewish American Heritage Month are going to 
talk about some of the impacts that the Jewish community has had 
throughout American history.
  It is my privilege to yield to my friend, the gentleman from 
Colorado, Jared Polis.

                              {time}  2115

  Mr. POLIS. I thank the gentlelady from Florida.
  I am here tonight to talk about the Jewish history in the West and in 
Colorado. Colorado was still an untamed wilderness when gold was 
discovered near Pike's Peak in 1858. The 59ers, fortune hunters from 
across the country, came to our State, growing the population and 
building a diverse economy. Jews, too, were part of that quest.
  Over the millennia, our Jewish people have suffered many exiles, 
often wandering and migrating from one

[[Page 9456]]

country to another, frequently meeting with hostility and hardship. It 
was in that spirit that Jews immigrated to the American West, where we 
established viable communities and maintained the Jewish heritage, 
despite great obstacles.
  The unpredictability of gold mining and a growing demand for supplies 
encouraged many of the Jewish 59ers to establish small business in new 
towns and mining camps throughout Colorado. Over the next two decades, 
Jews settled in Leadville, Cripple Creek, Aspen, Trinidad, Colorado 
Springs, Pueblo, Central City, and Denver.
  One of the first Jewish pioneers was Fred Zadek Salomon, who arrived 
in Auraria in June of 1859. He founded and became manager of the first 
general mercantile company in Colorado. The two were later joined by a 
third brother, Adolph Salomon, who became the first Jewish elected 
official in Colorado as a trustee of Greeley, Colorado.
  Another one of our famous early Jewish Coloradans was Frances 
Wisebart Jacobs, who was born in 1843 and died in 1892. She was born in 
Kentucky to Bavarian immigrants, but she moved to Denver when she was 
young. She helped organize and was president of the Hebrew Ladies' 
Benevolent Society, and she joined with the city's Congregationalist 
ministers and Catholic Archdiocese to create a multifaith charity 
organization.
  She also left her mark on tuberculosis relief, which Denver later 
became known for, as one of the first people to conceive of a free 
hospital for the medically indigent tuberculosis victims, for which 
Denver later became known.
  Frances Jacobs is memorialized as one of 16 Colorado pioneers and the 
only woman and the only Jew in a stained glass window in the Colorado 
state capital rotunda. In 1994, she was inducted into the National 
Women's Hall of Fame, and in 2000 she was awarded the Denver Mayor's 
Millennium Award.
  From its humble beginnings, the Colorado Jewish population has grown; 
in our generation, with immigrants from the east coast, as my parents 
from Brooklyn and Peekskill, New York, moved to Colorado in the 1970s, 
along with many of their fellow Jews, and more recently immigrants from 
California, Jews finding a new home in my hometown of Boulder, which 
when I was young and growing up, had one synagogue. It now has six 
synagogues.
  The town of Denver, with a longer and more established Jewish 
community, also continues to thrive with the Jewish cultural and 
religious life across the region.
  I rise to proudly recognize the role of Jews in the development of 
Colorado and the Rocky Mountain West.
  Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Thank you so much, Mr. Polis. Your comments 
are such a perfect example of the unique contributions that American 
Jews have made in our history, and you specifically highlighted 
examples that most people would not have been familiar with. I would 
bet that Coloradans are not familiar with that history. So thank you 
very much for coming down and sharing that with us this evening.
  Mr. Speaker, I want to share a story that was an experience that I 
lived through. For me as a young Jewish woman growing up in a 
predominantly Jewish community in New York, on Long Island, growing up, 
and then moving to south Florida and spending my adult life in a 
significant, large Jewish community, one would think that I had spent 
most of my life without experiencing anti-Semitism, and I have not 
experienced much in the way of overt anti-Semitism.
  But I want to share a story with my colleagues from when I was in 
college at the University of Florida. I was standing in the hallway of 
my dorm the first week of school and talking to another young woman who 
I had just met, and she saw my last name on the door, because there are 
signs on the doors with your names on them at the beginning of each 
semester in most college dorms.
  Somehow the subject of religion came up. I shared with her that I was 
Jewish, and her response, she was from a tiny town in north Florida, 
and it was evident after her comments that she had never met a Jewish 
person before, because she said to me, ``You're Jewish? I have seen 
pictures, but I have never seen a real one.''
  You know, growing up on Long Island, and that being my first exposure 
to someone who had not met a Jewish person, I had heard that there were 
people in America who thought that Jews had horns, and we were somehow 
not human. But, fortunately, I realized at the time that that was 
simply a reflection of the fact that she had not had experience with 
Jews or the Jewish community. And as we got to know each other, we 
lived on the hall together all throughout our freshman year, we got to 
be very good friends, and she realized that I was human and that I 
didn't have horns.
  But it is really important, and that story and that experience helped 
me understand why we had a need for Jewish American Heritage Month, 
just like the experience of Black History Month and the years and years 
of success of that cultural celebration that we have in February, and 
Asian Pacific Islander Month, and Hispanic Heritage Month. It is 
important that we celebrate the diversity in this country and that all 
Americans learn about the success and contributions that all different 
cultures have weaved together to make America the strong, vibrant 
Nation that we are today.
  Again, I am really pleased to be joined by my colleagues who are here 
with me on the floor tonight.
  With that, I yield to my good friend and next door neighbor, a 
gentleman who has been doing a fantastic job representing his 
constituents in south Florida and someone who has spent many, many 
years as a leader in the organized Jewish community, Congressman Ron 
Klein from the great State of Florida.
  Mr. KLEIN of Florida. I thank the gentlelady, and I thank the 
gentlelady for bringing this forward as an important part of our 
American fabric, as she talked about Jewish American Heritage Month as 
just one of many that make up the fabric of the United States, the 
people of the United States; the fact in many ways we are an immigrant 
population, but we are very diverse, both in religion, background, 
ethnicity, and it is a way of celebration that we are celebrating 
Jewish American Heritage Month, and we will have the opportunity to do 
that tomorrow and for weeks to come.
  Being from Cleveland originally, Cleveland, Ohio, I grew up in a 
family that had roots. My family came to the United States in the 
twenties from Europe, from a persecuted background in countries where 
they weren't welcome as Jews. Of course, we know the history of what 
happened during the Holocaust.
  But they came to the United States and did what most immigrant 
families did: They congregated among themselves initially, went to 
small towns, figured it was important to get an education, started 
little businesses and things like that.
  My dad had a variety store, which is, for those of you who remember 
what that is, sort of like a Woolworth's, but a small, independent 
store started by my grandfather during the Great Depression, and then 
it was a family business all the way through. My dad taught me all 
about what it was to be part of that American fabric.
  Being Jewish was unique where I came from, but not totally unique. 
There was a Jewish community in Cleveland. I eventually, with my wife, 
moved to Florida. Obviously, in Florida there was a larger Jewish 
community where I moved to. But it was only one generation before that 
that in that same community where I grew up, there were restrictions on 
where people could live. There were restrictions in deeds where you 
could purchase a home or a condominium, and they didn't allow various 
minorities, not just Jews, but African Americans and various others, to 
go into those communities and buy properties. It was only one 
generation before I moved there.
  So it is really sort of in our own lifetime that all these things 
have changed. Of course, we know as Americans there is still more work 
to be done with various forms of discrimination.

[[Page 9457]]

  But I do want to mention a couple of names and sort of have some fun 
tonight. First of all, the first Jewish Member of Congress was from 
Florida. In 1841, David Levy Yulee became the first Jew to serve in 
Congress. It was obviously even before the Civil War. He eventually 
went on to serve in the United States Senate. Then it was a long, long 
time after that before another Jewish resident from the State of 
Florida came back to represent the community in Congress.
  But I am going to mention a few entertainment people, because I think 
those are some of the fun people. Many of you remember Sandy Koufax. 
Now, this is not entertainment, this is sports, but one of the great, 
truly great pitchers of all time, Los Angeles Dodgers. I think many of 
you remember him.
  He refused to pitch on Yom Kippur, which is the most significant 
holiday of the year for the Jewish community. It was the World Series. 
He made a conscious choice and sort of sent reverberations throughout 
the sports community. How could he make this decision? But he became a 
folk hero for many people to say he stood up for himself. He stood up 
for his religion, he stood up for his family, and although he wasn't a 
religious man, he did something that was quite unique at that time.
  Steven Spielberg. How many of you know Steven Spielberg and the touch 
he has had on all of our lives, with the movies and so many important 
cultural things that he has been a contributor to? He obviously for 
many reasons, not only as a great film director and producer, he has 
also taken it upon himself to set up the Shoa Foundation and has funded 
it with others as a way of taking the written testimony of people who 
survived the Holocaust, to preserve it forever. That, to me, is a great 
contribution.
  Groucho Marx, we all know Groucho Marx. I won't do the imitation 
because I see my colleague from Denver, from Colorado, over there is 
going to make fun of me if I do that. But Groucho Marx is truly one of 
the greats. And, of course, it was all the Marx brothers. They just 
left such a mark in that time. They came from that background of that 
early vaudeville era and sort of expressed that great sense of humor.
  So there are so many, and I know my colleagues are going to mention 
one after the other here. But I am just happy to be here tonight to 
celebrate this important milestone, to celebrate it every year as part 
of this community, to talk about it, to learn about it, and to get our 
community to talk about it and teach others as well.
  I thank the gentlelady for bringing us all together tonight.
  Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Thank you so much. I thank the gentleman for 
his remarks and for taking us through an important aspect of Jewish 
life in America.
  Now it is my pleasure to yield to another colleague from the West, 
and a leader on the House Rules Committee who has a Rules Committee 
meeting that is imminent that he needs to get to, and a leader in the 
Jewish community as well, Congressman Ed Perlmutter from the State of 
Colorado.
  Mr. PERLMUTTER. I thank my friends from Florida.
  I wanted to follow Mr. Polis and just talk about the Rocky Mountain 
West, which really did receive Jewish immigrants with open arms. 
Sometimes there was discrimination, but generally it was open arms. In 
New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, ranching, farming, mining, construction, 
you name it, the Jewish community was involved in it. Merchants, oil 
and gas, the Manhattan Project down in Los Alamos in New Mexico.
  So, my family, a great-great-great uncle immigrated from the Ukraine 
in the late 1800s, was part of a mining commune above a little town 
called Center, Colorado, remained in that mining commune for about 3 
years, realized he didn't like being at about 11,000 feet in the 
mountains of Colorado, moved to the Denver area, where he had a small 
store, and that uncle then attracted the others who immigrated from the 
Ukraine. So the youngest brother came first, then the next brother, the 
next brother, and the next brother. My grandfather was the oldest. He 
was the last to arrive from the old country.
  But the Denver area in Colorado really did allow people a chance to 
really show what they were made of, and the Jewish community in 
Colorado, in the Denver area, has flourished over the years. It has 
been very much a part of the fabric of the community in charitable 
efforts, as well as education and those kinds of things. And the 
heritage that we are talking about tonight, really at least in the 
Rocky Mountain West, the Jewish community and the Rocky Mountain West 
are inseparable.
  I just thank my friend for organizing our Special Order hour, and I 
yield back to her.
  Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Thank you so much, Mr. Perlmutter. We 
appreciate your contribution to our effort to raise awareness and 
celebrate the contributions of Jewish Americans to American history.
  It is now my pleasure to yield to one of our newest Members, who as 
of just yesterday is no longer the most junior Member of the House of 
Representatives. He held that title for, oh, about a month. He is the 
neighbor to the other side of my congressional district, and did a 
fantastic job as a State senator, was another leader in the organized 
Jewish community in south Florida, someone who has been a staunch 
advocate for Israel and for issues that are important to the Jewish 
community, the gentleman from Florida, Mr. Deutch.
  Mr. DEUTCH. Thank you. Thank you very much.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of the American Jewish 
community's many contributions to our Nation's society and culture. I 
would like to thank my dear friend and colleague, Congresswoman Debbie 
Wasserman Schultz, for her outstanding dedication to preserving Jewish 
history and culture in America.
  Jewish American Heritage Month gives all Americans the opportunity to 
recognize Jewish Americans as leaders in every facet of America's life, 
from athletics, entertainment, the arts and academia, to business, 
government, and our Armed Forces.

                              {time}  2130

  Florida's 19th District is home to the largest, one of the largest 
Jewish American populations in this country.
  I'm privileged to represent many first generation Americans whose 
parents arrived on our shores seeking a better life. Many of these 
Jewish Americans are members of the Greatest Generation. They stepped 
up to serve in World War II and rebuilt this Nation after the Great 
Depression. In fact, over half a million Jewish Americans fought for 
the United States in World War II, and 11,000 of them perished fighting 
for our country.
  For those who arrived in Europe as the Holocaust raged on, this war 
became very personal. As a quote from a Jewish Air Force officer reads, 
As a Jew, it was Hitler and me. That is the way I picture the war.
  While the contributions of Jewish American soldiers during World War 
II cannot be understated, the truth is that Jewish American soldiers 
have been fighting for this country since the Revolutionary War.
  Colonel Isaac Franks and Major Benjamin Nones were aides de camp to 
General George Washington. Commodore Uriah Phillips Levy, who served in 
the War of 1812, was court-martialed six times due to his defiance of 
anti-Semitism. And by the time the Civil War broke out, there were 
150,000 Jews in the United States, with 7,000 fighting for the North 
and 3,000 fighting for the South. Senator Judah Benjamin even served as 
Secretary of State for the Confederacy. And although Jews only made up 
2 percent of the population during World War I, they made up 6 percent 
of the United States Armed Forces.
  Jewish Americans have served in Korea and Vietnam. They've served in 
Operation Desert Storm and in countless operations around the globe. 
They're among the brave young men and women who served after September 
11 in the war on terror and who are serving bravely and valiantly in 
Iraq and Afghanistan, even as we speak.

[[Page 9458]]

  And as we approach Memorial Day, I recognize those Jewish war 
veterans who made the ultimate sacrifice for freedom, like Major Stuart 
Wolfer, a Jewish American major from my district, a loving father of 
three daughters who was killed by rocket fire in Baghdad 2 years ago.
  Since the Congressional Medal of Honor, Jewish Americans have been 
awarded this high honor for their dedicated service to this Nation 
since it was created. Six Jewish Americans received the award in the 
Civil War, two in the Indian wars in the late 1800s, three in World War 
I, two in World War II, one in the Vietnam conflict.
  I am proud to also note that Florida's 19th District is home to one 
of the largest chapters of the Jewish War Veterans of America. These 
brave men and women embody true patriotism, and their dedication to 
this great country is captured in their mission statement, which reads:
  We, citizens of the United States of America of the Jewish faith who 
served in the wars of the United States of America, in order that we 
may be of greater service to our country and to one another, associate 
ourselves together for the following purposes:
  To maintain true allegiance to the United States of America;
  To foster and perpetuate true Americanism;
  To combat whatever tends to impair the efficiency and permanency of 
our free institutions;
  To uphold the fair name of the Jew and fight his or her battles 
wherever unjustly assailed;
  To encourage the doctrine of universal liberty, equal rights, and 
full justice to all men and women;
  To combat the powers of bigotry and darkness wherever originating and 
whatever their target; and
  To preserve the spirit of comradeship by mutual helpfulness to 
comrades and their families.
  The mission of this wonderful organization holds a special 
significance to me. I'm the proud son of a Jewish war veteran who 
volunteered as a teenager to serve our country and fought in the Battle 
of the Bulge, where he earned a Purple Heart.
  My dad's no longer with us today, but with every veteran that I meet, 
I hear his voice and remember his love of country. It's a love of 
country that so many Jewish Americans hold in their hearts. Those who 
practice the Jewish faith hold in high regard a value for service, for 
justice and progress for all people.
  These are values also embedded in the very fabric of this country. 
And it's for this reason today, on the fifth anniversary of Jewish 
American Heritage Month, that I am so proud to recognize the Jewish 
American men and women who, for centuries, not only have shaped our 
national culture, but have defended our people in times of great 
challenge.
  Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you, Congresswoman Wasserman 
Schultz for arranging this wonderful evening.
  Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Thank you very much, Mr. Deutch, and I'm 
really pleased that you chose to highlight in your remarks the 
contributions that our Jewish war veterans have made.
  Last year, I think it was last year, Ms. Schwartz, last year, we 
marked, the Jewish Members, a number of us and some non-Jewish Members, 
marked Jewish American Heritage Month by taking a trip to the Museum of 
Jewish Military History, which is based in Washington, D.C., and it was 
a museum that I was not familiar with, didn't know existed. And we had 
an opportunity, all the way back to the Revolutionary War, to see the 
contributions of Jews throughout our military history and how they 
proudly, so many of them, as you said, hundreds of thousands, proudly 
fought side by side with their fellow American citizens to defend the 
freedom that we continue to enjoy today.
  So thank you so much for acknowledging that.
  It's now my privilege to yield to my good friend, the gentlelady from 
Pennsylvania, who has been a leader, whom I've shared many a 
conversation with in the time we have served in the Congress together. 
We were elected in the same year and both served as State legislators, 
championing many of the same cases. She was a leader on health care in 
the Senate in Pennsylvania and has been a leader in the Jewish 
community in her own right, and I'm so glad you've joined us here 
tonight.
  The gentlelady from Pennsylvania (Ms. Schwartz).
  Ms. SCHWARTZ. I thank the gentlewoman, and I'm very pleased to join 
you this evening. Thank you for organizing it, and thank you, of 
course, for your sponsorship of the resolution that created the Jewish 
American Heritage Month. And I am very pleased, as the only Jewish 
member of the Pennsylvania delegation, to be able to speak tonight a 
bit about the contributions of Pennsylvania's Jewish communities, in 
particular, Philadelphia's Jewish community and the contributions we 
made.
  I would be remiss if I didn't also say that I appreciate our 
colleague's comments before about Jewish veterans. And as many of my 
colleagues know, my father was a veteran serving in the Korean War, and 
certainly those experiences have helped inform who I am.
  But this evening, I did want to talk a bit about some other subjects, 
and, in particular, let me start by saying that William Penn, who 
founded Pennsylvania in 1682 as a colony, did so making sure that the 
colony was based on religious tolerance.
  The Philadelphia Jewish community has been around for a very long 
time and really came really expecting and being honored to be able to 
experience that religious tolerance, particularly in Philadelphia, and 
has been a part of Jewish Philadelphia and the Philadelphia community 
for generations. As early as 1735, Nathan Levy established himself in 
the import/export trade with his cousin David Franks in the bustling 
Philadelphia port. Well, today the Philadelphia port is still bustling, 
and it is one of the busiest ports in the Nation.
  Philadelphia Jews have contributed to our national fabric through 
sciences, public service and through the arts. Just to name a few--and 
it's always risky to just name a few, but I will--philanthropist Sam 
Guggenheim and Watergate counsel Samuel Dash, Science Nobel Prize 
recipient Howard Temin, and the comic Larry Fine all were graduates of 
Philadelphia's public magnet school, Central High School, where my sons 
went to school, and certainly proud Philadelphians, and they are among 
the members of Philadelphia's Jewish community. Philadelphia continues 
to proudly distinguish itself as an important epicenter of American 
Jewish life.
  As a new Member of Congress, I was very honored and proud to support 
Temple Beth Shalom, which is located on Old York Road in Elkins Park, 
Montgomery County--I represent Montgomery County--becoming a national 
historic landmark. It is the only synagogue designed by the great 
American architect Frank Lloyd Wright, and it is a remarkable place to 
see. I would commend it to all of my colleagues.
  And looking forward, on November 14, 2010, the National Museum of 
American Jewish History will open its spectacular new facility on 
Philadelphia's Independence Mall. This museum is the only museum in 
America dedicated exclusively to exploring and preserving the American 
Jewish experience. And again, I encourage all of my colleagues, Jews 
and non-Jews, to visit this remarkable institution and to learn the 
stories of Jewish Americans, their challenges, their hardships, and 
their successes as they became a part of the fabric of who we are as 
Americans.
  For me, the significance of American Jewish Heritage Month is marked 
by a story of one young woman named Renee Perl. Over 60 years ago, 
Renee fled Austria on a Kindertransport. Some of the Jews may know what 
that means. It was a children's train. Parents sent their children on 
this train hoping they would be embraced by strangers and taken care 
of. She was, of course, fleeing the Holocaust. After almost 2 years, 
first in Holland and then in England, she arrived alone on the shores 
of America, a 16-year old without family or friends, but armed

[[Page 9459]]

with a keen sense of hope and expectation. As with many refugees, she 
was anxious to put her difficult experiences behind her and embrace her 
new country, which she did with deep gratitude.
  Renee Perl was my mother. She instilled in me a deep love for this 
country and its capacity to provide not only safe harbor but 
opportunity. My mother's search for security and freedom in America is 
part of who I am and why I do what I do. It is a deeply personal 
reminder of the importance of democracy, not only for American Jews, 
but for so many. Her story, her life, as for so many others, calls on 
us to meet the responsibility we have to respect the values of our 
great Nation, to build and protect the freedom and hope that it offers 
to so many citizens and newcomers.
  It is with pride and gratitude that I mark the occasion of American 
Jewish Heritage Month, and I am pleased to participate in this 
evening's discussion.
  Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Thank you so much.
  Ms. Schwartz, I have to tell you that I've heard you share that story 
before, and I get a lump in my throat every time you tell it. It is so 
moving and meaningful for you to share that story in the Chamber of the 
U.S. House of Representatives, and it's one of the ways that we can 
help people understand why acknowledging the contributions of American 
Jews and the rich tapestry that we have weaved throughout American 
history is so important. So thank you again for sharing that story once 
again.
  It's now my privilege to yield to one of the most significant Jewish 
leaders in our country, someone who has been a stalwart fighter for 
Israel, a stalwart fighter for the issues that matter to American Jews 
and to Jews across the globe, the gentlelady from Nevada, Shelley 
Berkley.
  Ms. BERKLEY. Thank you very much, Ms. Wasserman Schultz. We usually 
start our days together because we're next-door neighbors, and it's a 
pleasure to see you 14 hours later here on the floor of the House. But 
I want to thank you for spearheading this effort. I think it's very 
important. And I know this is near and dear to your heart, and you've 
done an extraordinary job year after year bringing the Jewish American 
story to our fellow citizens, and I appreciate it very much.
  I can't help but agree with you about the beautiful story that our 
colleague, Allyson Schwartz, spoke of. I leaned over to you and said, 
Is she talking about her grandmother? And you said, No, that's her 
mother. And I know how much that means. I also have heard her story 
many times, and it also puts a lump in my throat as well.
  Congresswoman Wasserman Schultz, my family story is very much an 
American Jewish story. And not unlike so many millions of other 
American Jews that came to our shores from other places, my mother's 
side of the family comes from Thessaloniki, Greece, where there was a 
very vibrant community, Jewish community prior to World War II. Half of 
the population of Thessaloniki, Greece were Jewish before World War II, 
but by the time the Nazis finished, there were only 1,000 Jews left in 
Salonika out of the 80,000 that existed and lived there and thrived 
there prior to World War II. I'm not presumptuous enough to think that 
my family would have been among those thousand chosen to live.
  On my father's side of the family, from the Russia-Poland border, an 
entire culture, from 1,000 years of Jewish culture in that part of the 
world, was exterminated as a result of World War II. My family escaped 
both the Russia-Poland area and Thessaloniki, Greece in order to come 
to our Nation's shores. And I grew up hearing stories of what their 
lives were like where they came from and how thrilled and excited they 
were to come to the United States of America and truly felt this 
started as a haven. It was the very survival of my family. Had they 
stayed where they lived in Europe, we would have been exterminated in 
the Holocaust, but we did survive. We came to this remarkable country, 
where not only did we have an opportunity to survive, but we've had an 
opportunity to thrive.
  I'm second-generation American. When my grandparents came here--and 
this is a story that is so common among American Jewish families--they 
couldn't speak English. They had no money. They had no skills.

                              {time}  2145

  The only thing they had was a dream, and that dream was that their 
children and their children's children would have a better life here in 
the United States than they had where they came from.
  I often think of myself, and I hope this isn't too presumptuous, as 
my grandparents' American Dream. But I think even in their wildest 
dreams they never would have imagined that they would have a 
granddaughter that was serving in the United States House of 
Representatives. When I am doing this, I often think of my grandparents 
and realize that they went through so much in order to come to this 
country. And we have been able to share in the extraordinary success 
and largesse of this remarkable country.
  We are very lucky as an American Jewish community to be very much a 
part of the fabric of this great country, to have full acceptance, to 
be able to access the highest levels of power, to actually be able to 
effectuate meaningful change in a very positive way by participating in 
the American political process.
  My father, much like so many of the others that spoke today, is also 
a World War II veteran. He is 85. His name is George Levine. He is 
still working. But I think what demonstrates our commitment and our 
love of this country and our patriotism as American Jews is the fact 
that my father also joined the Navy when he wasn't quite old enough to 
do so. But he wanted to fight for his country. He wanted to stand up 
and do something positive for the United States of America to show that 
we belonged here and we were part of this great country.
  There are 500,000 Jews that served in the American Armed Forces 
during World War II, including numerous Jews who rose to the rank of 
general, and several more were admirals. Now, my father was never an 
admiral in the Navy, but he served and he served his country proudly 
and well; and I continue to be very proud of him.
  We have made more than a life for ourselves in the United States of 
America. We are very proud Americans, and we are very proud Jews. And 
we appreciate so much the fact that this country offered so many 
remarkable opportunities and gave us a chance not only for survival, 
but to become a part of something so much bigger than ourselves. I 
think it's incumbent, and I think most Jews feel this way, that given 
the rights that we have here in the United States also comes 
responsibilities.
  Those responsibilities mean good citizenship and participating in the 
political process and voting and being knowledgeable and getting a good 
education so that you can not only be part of the foundation of this 
country, but to give back to a country that has given us so many 
opportunities. So I am very much a part of the American Jewish 
community, but it's a story that so many of us share with our fellow 
Americans.
  Ms. Wasserman Schultz, I want to thank you very much for giving us 
the chance to thank this great country not only for taking us in, but 
for letting us be so much a part of not only the culture and the 
political life, but to be very much involved in the greatness of the 
United States of America. Thank you for giving me this chance.
  Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Thank you so much for your eloquence, Ms. 
Berkley, and for acknowledging that a lot of people think about the 
arrival of Jews in America as really being an infusion after World War 
I, an infusion after World War II; but we have 353 years of Jewish life 
in this country. And, unfortunately, much of our arrival followed 
persecution in other parts of the world: after the Spanish Inquisition, 
the pogroms in Russia--that's when my family came initially in the 
1800s--and then in the early 1900s fleeing Poland for a better way of 
life here. And it's so incredibly important that we tell our story.
  Jewish American Heritage Month allows us to do that now. President 
Bush

[[Page 9460]]

proclaimed it 5 years ago. We had 250 cosponsors, of which you were 
one, of the original legislation that urged him to do that. And one of 
the things that I really think is important to acknowledge is there is 
so much partisanship here in the House of Representatives. I was the 
most proud at the time that we passed that resolution unanimously out 
of the House. With over 400 Members voting for it, we had 250 
cosponsors, bipartisan cosponsors, and then we had a bipartisan effort 
across the Jewish community in this country to urge the President at 
the time to proclaim the first Jewish American Heritage Month. And they 
did so willingly, put aside party differences because they knew that it 
was incredibly important. And we have continued to be able to mark the 
occasion every year.
  Ms. BERKLEY. Well, if it wasn't for your leadership we might not be 
here this evening doing this, so I thank you. Congresswoman, when you 
and I hear the beautiful song ``God Bless America,'' it means a great 
deal to us because I think every day God bless America, God bless this 
country.
  But the interesting thing is Irving Berlin gained prominence as a 
composer of patriotic songs. As you know, Irving Berlin was a very 
famous composer, he was Jewish, and he wanted to show his love of this 
country and use his talents in order to create these remarkably 
patriotic songs. And ``God Bless America'' is still among my favorites. 
And he received the Congressional Gold Medal of Honor in recognition of 
his service to this country in composing these patriotic songs. So 
whenever I hear that song I get a little patter in my heart, and it 
particularly makes me proud that an American Jew composed it.
  Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Me as well. And in that same vein, Emma 
Lazarus was by far at the time the leading Jewish literary figure in 
19th-century America. And it's her sonnet which was called ``The New 
Colossus'' that is engraved on the base of the Statute of Liberty: 
``Give me your tired, your poor, yearning to breathe free.'' And then 
the rest is history.
  Ms. BERKLEY. History.
  Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. The rest is history, exactly. There are so 
many contributions that this month allows us to highlight. And I really 
thank you for joining us tonight, to continue to be able to do that. 
And I know we look forward to the rest of the month and the 
celebrations across the country.
  Ms. BERKLEY. Thank you very much.
  Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Thank you so much.
  It is now my privilege to invite my colleague from the State of 
Florida, the gentleman from central Florida, who is a newly elected 
Member and who has done a fantastic job fighting for his constituents, 
fighting on behalf of the issues that are important to this country, 
and fighting to help particularly focus on job creation and turning our 
economy around, the gentleman and my friend from central Florida, Alan 
Grayson.
  Mr. GRAYSON. Thank you. It would be easy to spend this time that I 
have, and in fact this entire hour, talking about the contributions 
that Jewish people have made to American history and to American 
science and culture. If you look at the back of a dollar bill, you will 
find the seal of the United States. And you will find that the 13 
original States are depicted in the form of a Star of David on the back 
of every dollar bill. And that's to reflect the support that Jews 
provided during the Revolutionary War for our freedom as a country.
  It also would be easy to spend this time, and in fact the whole hour, 
talking about people who we know who have lived upstanding lives as 
Jews and reflected our values in ways that have caused America to 
appreciate what they have given us. I am thinking, for instance, of my 
father's mother, who came to America fleeing oppression in Europe 110 
years ago. I am thinking of both of my mother's parents. My mother's 
parents told me that their finest hour was when they got to visit 
Jerusalem. And yet they came from Europe to North America in the hope 
of achieving freedom, and they did.
  But I would like to try to do something that's in some respects a 
little more difficult, if I may, which is try to explain in some 
general way what Jews have meant in this country for our intellectual 
and moral life as a country. And I think it begins with the fact that 
we all lived as slaves. And we not only remember that time and remember 
what it meant for us to achieve freedom ourselves as a people, but we 
also make sure that each year we come together during a time that's 
important to all of us, to come together as families and remember the 
importance of that part of the Jewish experience. And that helps us to 
relate to other people who are oppressed in all sorts of ways.
  We also, I think, are moved by the central concept, in my mind, of 
tikkun olam, healing the world. Now, this is a concept that dates in 
Jewish law all the way back to the Mishnah. And originally it was 
basically an injunction that you should not take advantage of other 
people. One of the original examples of tikkun olam, the principle of 
healing the world, was that for instance when the captives were taken, 
when people were held hostage in military battles, the tradition at 
that time was that they could be freed by a payment of money. We don't 
do that anymore, nobody does that anymore, but that was typical and 
ordinary in Biblical times.
  And the rule of tikkun olam was applied to place a limit on how much 
you could take in order to give someone back their freedom. Why? 
Because that person was a prisoner, he or she could not defend himself 
or herself, and he or she wanted and deserved the freedom that every 
human being deserves. So under the idea of the concept of tikkun olam, 
we placed a limit on the price that you could pay on somebody's 
freedom, even if they were captured in the field of battle or otherwise 
taken hostage. And that's a concept that's broadened over time. It's a 
concept that I think is suffused through our life as a country in 
America today because it appeals to our better nature.
  I saw something recently that summarized this in a way that I thought 
was particularly vivid. This is Rabbi Michael Lerner talking about the 
concept of tikkun olam and how it applies to modern life: ``We in the 
Tikkun community,'' he said, ``use the word `spiritual' to include all 
those whose deepest values lead them to challenge the ethos of 
selfishness and materialism that has led people into a frantic search 
for money and power and away from a life that places love, kindness, 
generosity, peace, nonviolence, social justice, awe and wonder at the 
grandeur of creation, thanksgiving, humility and joy,'' especially joy 
I think, ``at the center of our lives.''
  And what we strive for under Jewish law is a reflection of the future 
that we hope to bring about, the messianic age, the age when people 
live in peace, when their lives are filled with love and with joy. And 
our actions today are meant to point in that direction. I think that's 
a good summary of what we try to accomplish as legislators. I think 
it's a good summary of what America tries to accomplish when we appeal 
to our own better natures. And that's, I think, the greatest of all of 
our contributions to American life, the concept of tikkun olam, the 
concept that the way that we conduct ourselves is a way that can spread 
throughout the world. I appreciate the time.
  Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Thank you so much, Mr. Grayson, for sharing 
your unique perspective. And, again, it's so incredibly important that 
we had this opportunity to acknowledge the contributions of Jewish 
Americans to American history.
  And I can tell you, Mr. Speaker, that something that I am quite proud 
of is a contribution that I wasn't aware that I had made. Upon my 
election to the Congress in 2004, I learned that I was elected as the 
first Jewish woman to represent the State of Florida in Congress in 
history. And that's a source of great pride certainly to my parents, my 
Jewish parents, who were extremely proud and who kvelled, which is a 
Yiddish expression for a great bubbling of pride, so to speak. But it's 
something that has been a source of pride to me.
  Mr. GRAYSON. Will the gentlelady yield?

[[Page 9461]]


  Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. I would be happy to yield.
  Mr. GRAYSON. I am sure, and I know for a fact, that your parents must 
be very proud of you. But I will tell you that when I was elected, my 
mother's reaction was, I really wish you would become a doctor instead. 
I yield back.
  Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Thank you. That's right. They wished for a 
doctor or a lawyer; they got a Member of Congress. What can you do? 
They had to settle.
  Mr. Speaker, as I wrap up, and I am going to yield the last portion 
of our time to my good friend from Indiana, but I do want to talk about 
this year's Jewish American Heritage Month. And it's been packed with 
programs celebrating the contributions of American Jews to our country 
with movies, cultural exhibitions, speakers, and innovative educational 
curricula.
  Right here in Washington, the United Jewish Communities and the 
Jewish Historical Society of Greater Washington will once again be 
hosting what has become their annual tradition, a reception for Members 
of Congress and members of the Jewish community right here on Capitol 
Hill.
  J Street will also be hosting a reception to celebrate May as Jewish 
American Heritage Month with Members of Congress, their staff, and the 
Jewish community. But that's not all. The Library of Congress and the 
National Archives and Records Administration has been hosting lectures 
and exhibits and discussions about Jewish contributions to America.
  In my home State of Florida, there will be a celebration of Jewish 
contributions to the civil rights movement. And the Marlins baseball 
team will host a Jewish Heritage Game. I can share with you that I had 
the privilege of throwing out the first pitch last year at the Jewish 
Heritage Game, which was really neat. But at that game they have kosher 
food and Jewish music in-between innings, and it's really an incredible 
experience.
  Cincinnati, Ohio will be hosting lectures, including one on President 
Lincoln's solid relationship with Jewish Americans. And Wyoming of all 
places will host a festival celebrating Jewish food. And Lord knows 
that we Jews like food a whole lot.

                              {time}  2200

  Events are also scheduled to occur in New York, California, Texas and 
other States around the country, but I think the thing that we are all 
the most proud of is that tomorrow we will join President Barack Obama 
and the first lady, who will hold the first ever White House 
celebration and ceremony honoring Jewish American Heritage Month and 
the contributions of Jewish Americans throughout American history. It's 
our first opportunity to have that celebration in the White House 
during the month of May and Jewish American Heritage Month.
  Mr. Speaker, we have come a long way in recent years to promote 
appreciation for the multicultural fabric of the United States. It's 
our responsibility to continue this education. If we as a Nation are to 
prepare our children for the challenges that lie ahead, then teaching 
diversity is a fundamental part of that promise. Together, we can help 
achieve this goal of understanding with the celebration of Jewish 
American Heritage Month.
  I thank my colleagues for their support and call on all Americans to 
observe this special month by celebrating the many contributions of 
Jewish culture throughout our Nation's history.
  With that, I would be happy to yield to the gentleman from Indiana 
(Mr. Donnelly) who hopefully will come up with a good segue from Jewish 
American Heritage Month to what he has come to share with us tonight 
about his constituents.


          Honoring Three Sons from Second District of Indiana

  Mr. DONNELLY of Indiana. Thank you very much. I want to thank my dear 
colleague from Florida and tell her what a vibrant and successful 
Jewish community we have in Indiana as well. We are very proud of our 
Jewish community there, and I want to thank you so much.
  Mr. Speaker, as we near Memorial Day, I rise today also to offer some 
words in commemoration of those who gave their lives in the Armed 
Forces of the United States, in particular, three sons from the Second 
District of Indiana. This weekend, Members of this body will return to 
our districts and participate in Memorial Day parades and events that 
are a tradition of American life. People will picnic with their 
families, barbecue and watch parades, and people will honor our 
veterans and pay respects to those servicemembers who died in the line 
of duty in places large and small, in places like South Bend, Plymouth 
and Westville, Indiana.
  Specialist Paul E. Andersen, an Army Reservist from South Bend, 
Indiana, died in action on October 1, 2009, by indirect fire from enemy 
forces. A 24-year veteran of the Armed Forces, Paul was competing his 
second tour of duty in Iraq.
  A 1979 graduate of Buchanan High School just across the line in 
Michigan, Paul enlisted in the Army Reserves in 1985. After serving his 
first tour in Iraq, Paul met his future wife, Linda, at the home of a 
friend. They shared a love of country music, old movies, and strawberry 
milkshakes. Paul proposed marriage within just a few months, and they 
were married 3 weeks later.
  Linda knew what the Army meant to Paul from the very beginning. When 
he reenlisted for 6 more years of duty, though, it was only after first 
seeking her consent.
  When he asked her how she would feel if he opted to redeploy, she 
said, go ahead. ``I knew I married an Army man, he's my world, my life, 
my friend.''
  In November of 2008, Paul served with the 855th Quartermaster Company 
from South Bend. Paul's mission in Iraq was to provide both shower and 
laundry services, as well as operating a clothing repair shop 
supporting coalition forces based in 10 different locations throughout 
the Iraqi theater. Without these crucial services that helped make life 
bearable for those fighting far from home, our soldiers would not have 
been able to perform their duties as ably as they do.
  Paul will be remembered as a devoted husband, father, and 
grandfather. As a civilian, Paul worked at a tube and bending company. 
He loved to tinker with machines and was notorious among family members 
and friends for going overboard on the Christmas lights every year.
  He lived a life full of love and joy. Specialist Andersen is survived 
by his wife, by six children, and by nine grandchildren.
  Army Staff Sergeant Justin DeCrow of Plymouth, Indiana, died in a the 
tragic shooting at Fort Hood, Texas, on November 5, 2009. After 13 
years of extraordinary service to his Nation, Justin was taken from his 
family, friends, and comrades, and he will be forever missed.
  Justin always wanted to be a soldier. He graduated from Plymouth High 
School in 1996, and after marrying his high school sweetheart, that 
spring he enlisted in the United States Army. He answered the call to 
serve his country because of an unfailing love of America and also the 
opportunity to make a life for his family in a career like no other.
  Early on, he performed light vehicle maintenance. In 2000, Justin and 
his family moved to Evans, Georgia, after he was assigned to nearby 
Fort Gordon, where he was trained as a satellite operator.
  He would later go on to work in that capacity in South Korea. Last 
September, Justin was assigned to the 16th Signal Company at Fort Hood. 
He had hoped to soon return to Fort Gordon to be with his family.
  While at Fort Hood, Justin distinguished himself by training new 
soldiers. He will be remembered by his fellow soldiers as a mentor with 
an undeniable charm and quick wit, and by friends and family as a 
loving and devoted father and husband.
  Justin is survived by his wife of 14 years, Marikay, their 13-year-
old daughter, Kylah, and two proud parents, Daniel DeCrow and Rhonda 
Thompson. He will be missed by them and by a grateful Nation forever in 
debt to a selfless man's kind heart and deep sense of service.
  Marine Corps Lance Corporal Joshua Birchfield of Westville, Indiana, 
died in

[[Page 9462]]

the Helmand Province of Afghanistan on February 19, 2010. After almost 
2 years of accomplished service, Joshua was killed by small arms fire 
while on patrol during his first tour of duty in that country.
  Josh graduated from Westville High School in 2004 and enlisted in the 
United States Marine Corps on April 18, 2008. He joined the marines 
after seeing a TV news segment focused on the hardships that military 
families endure when they are separated, especially during the 
holidays. Josh was deeply inspired by those who dedicated their lives 
in the service of others. He wanted to share that burden they were 
carrying on behalf of our Nation.
  Lance Corporal Birchfield was stationed in Helmand Province as a 
rifleman with the Third Battalion, Fourth Marine Regiment, First Marine 
Expeditionary Force, based in Twentynine Palms, California.
  For his service and support in Operation Enduring Freedom, Josh has 
been decorated many times, earning the Purple Heart, Combat Action 
Ribbon, National Defense Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Global War 
on Terrorism Service Medal, Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, and the NATO 
Medal. Joshua was a baseball enthusiast, and this coming weekend, I am 
proud that I will be there as the baseball field in Westville will be 
renamed in Josh's honor, a living memorial that will remain a place of 
joy and remembrance for years to come. And we all hope that we can live 
up to the example that Josh has given to all of us.
  Joshua was also an inspiring hero to many in the tight-knit Westville 
community, and he will be remembered as a selfless and compassionate 
man. He is survived by both parents and sisters, extended family, and 
many, many friends.
  We are forever in debt to these three great Hoosiers, all patriots in 
every sense of the word and all brave Americans who have laid down 
their lives so that we may be safe, so that others might live without 
fear, and so that our country can remain safe and secure and strong.
  Let us also remember today those brave Americans who are serving 
their Nation now here at home and in harm's way in places all around 
the globe. By choosing to serve their Nation in uniform, these sons and 
daughters, mothers and fathers, are continuing hundreds of years of a 
tradition of selflessness, excellence, and courage in protecting the 
freedoms and values we are blessed to enjoy as citizens of this beloved 
country.
  Mr. Speaker, may the House of Representatives always do right by 
these fine men and their families, and may we never forget the price of 
freedom and those who have laid their lives down in service to this 
great Nation.
  Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. I am really privileged to have been here to 
listen to the gentleman acknowledge the patriots that gave their lives 
and that have served our country so faithfully from his community, and 
I can tell you that the constituents of the district that he represents 
in Indiana have no greater friend, no greater advocate, than Joe 
Donnelly.
  With that, I yield back.

                          ____________________